Materials and technologies – April 2026
An objective standard to assess recycled plastic quality
The transition towards a circular plastics economy faces a fundamental challenge: a lack of objective quality standards for recycled materials. To address this gap, TNO and the University of Maastricht have developed the RecyQMeter, a pioneering tool to transparently compare recycled plastic streams.
Researchers develop scalable method for safer, compostable packaging
About 30% of plastics consumed are made to last forever but are discarded after a single use. Researchers at Virginia Tech have developed a water-based process to create multilayer bioplastic films that are both high-performing and easier to manufacture. The method avoids toxic solvents and allows industrial production speeds, making it viable for real-world use.
New system aims to detect percentage of recycled plastic in plastic products
Recycled plastics are promoted on everything from water bottles and fleece jackets to shopping bags and yogurt cups. Verifying such claims, however, is another matter because there is no quick and reliable way to measure how much recycled plastic these products contain. University at Buffalo researchers are addressing this problem by combining several scientific tests, as well as AI, to differentiate recycled plastic from new (‘virgin’) plastic.
Chip technology may spin-off onto conventional packaging: re-healing by IBM
IBM Research has been using their AI machine RXN to develop a new class of dual-responsive materials. These are primarily used in high-end electronic packaging but are being adapted for consumer goods. The re-healing and re-workable materials use "orthogonal dynamic covalent chemistries." Under a specific thermal stimulus, they can heal cracks, but under a chemical trigger predicted by RXN, they undergo controlled depolymerization. This allows complex multi-layer packaging (traditionally unrecyclable) to be ‘unzipped’ back into monomaterials for recycling. Read more here.
BASF invests massively in renewable energy powered production in China
BASF has opened a newly built, world-scale, four square kilometre sized site in Zhanjiang (China).Using clever process integration, process innovations and renewable energy, CO₂ emissions at the site are 50% less than at conventional sites. Long-term green power purchase agreements and investments in an offshore wind farm enable the site’s electricity supply to be 100% renewable. Innovative technologies are being used for the steam cracker – the starting point of various value chains at the site. With a capacity of 1 million tons of ethylene per year it is the world’s first cracker equipped with main compressors (e-drives) powered by 100% renewable energy, supporting the production of high-quality, low-CO₂ products.
Number of EU patents for packaging material increased by 229 since March 2025
The European Patent Office (EPO) has announced that they received 201,974 patent applications in 2025, 1.4% more than in 2024. The European patent register holds 3,575 patents with the search term ‘packaging material’ (search done by NVC on 31 March 2026). This is an increase of 229 in a years’ time. On 4 April 2025 NVC did the same search and that resulted in 3,346 patents.
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